Mishibox K-Beauty Subscription Box Review – May 2016

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Mishibox is a monthly subscription box that helps you explore the world of Korean beauty and discover products in a convenient, effortless, and affordable way. Mishibox sends out 5-6 deluxe and full-sized products from a wide range of Korean brands.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

This is a new Korean brand for me! The daytime lotion has SPF 35/PA+++. It helps hydrate, improve dull skin tone, protect the skin from UV rays, and leave skin feeling silky. It has a mild fresh scent that goes away quickly. I admit I don’t like putting on thick creams during the daytime and this one was a little too rich for my skin. What’s greasy for me is probably great for other skin types though!

The nighttime counterpart helps to hydrate your skin without feeling oily. The PM moisturizer has almost no scent. Similar to the AM one, the cream is a little heavy for me but it is acceptable in small amounts. It indeed moisturizes without being too sticky.

Subscribers receive one of 10 shades. I’m happy with my Dark Purple although it looks more like brown-black with dark purple shimmer. It has almost a purple shift to it, but from afar it’s basically a dark neutral color. The most impressive part about this eyeliner is that it refuses to budge once set. As in, I wore it all day and it barely smudged. It’s challenging to find a liner that can withstand my oily skin all day, so I’m excited to add this to my repertoire.

The info card says that this liner is $8. Since I couldn’t find it on the Mishibox website I linked to English Secret Key site, which currently has them on sale for $3.38 (before shipping costs).

Swatch of the Secret Key eyeliner. It’s hard to capture the purple shift.

Secret Key Snail Repairing Sun Cream – $8

I’m so excited to see sunscreen! I’ve found that many Asian sunscreens I’ve tried are not greasy or sticky or thick, making them great for layering under makeup. This Secret Key sunscreen is SPF 50 and formulated with snail mucin and hyaluronic acid. This one is indeed not sticky. It feels a little friction-y when I run my fingers against my cheek which is due to the creamy formula. However, it feels weightless and doesn’t make my face look greasy. Overall it’s great and I will be adding it to my routine.

D’Ran Wonder Serum for Nourishing & Revitalizing – $35

This is a brand I’ve heard of but never tried before. The serum comes in a heavy glass bottle and was protected by bubble wrap in the box. It includes 20 herbal extracts, EGF, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid. The info card claims it can brighten, moisturize, and smooth wrinkles. I detected a floral fragrance upon first pump but it disappears quickly. The serum is easy to spread with and doesn’t leave the face sticky as long as you don’t apply too much. I don’t see much of a difference so far but will be trying it out for a longer period.

Wow, another brand that I’ve never tried! I’m really liking the uncommon brands here. This creamy sheet mask contains donkey milk from Italy, niacinamide, adenosine, squalane, macadamia seed oil, beta-glucan, and fermented extracts! Whew, it’s trying to do everything here. The essence is clear and gel-like and the floral fragrance lingers during masking. I like that the mask adheres snugly to my skin so I can walk around without fear it of slipping off. My face feel a little sticky afterwards. However, this is a nice mask and I wouldn’t mind having more.

Verdict: I’m so happy with my second Mishibox! Despite the shipping delay, they communicated with customers in a transparent, timely manner. My favorite item is the smudgeproof and longlasting Secret Key eyeliner. The sunscreen is also amazing and I’ll definitely use that up. I estimate the total value to be $56.18 (more if you use Mishibox pricing for the Secret Key eyeliner). April’s box was great, but this month’s was even better! The selection and value of this Kbeauty subscription is delightful.

Nancy used to be a Candy Crush addict but then she became addicted to subscription boxes instead. Now she has a particular interest in Korean/Asian beauty after seeing the wonders it has done to her skin. She’s constantly in search of new lippies, skincare, and tasty international snacks.

All views in this review are the opinion of the author. My Subscription Addiction will never accept payment in exchange for a review, but will accept a box at no cost to provide honest opinions on the box. This post may contain affiliate/referral links. Read the complete My Subscription Addiction disclosure.

17 Comments

Nickybear
June 6, 2016 at 7:49 am

When I got my box and saw that donkey milk mask, I was like “ewww”. I used it Saturday and it is hands down one of the best facial masks I’ve every used. I used it at bedtime and when I woke up the next day, my face was literally glowing. I will definitely be buying more of the donkey milk masks!

I recently purchased the Secret Key sunscreen from a HauteLook sale and I love it! It is so lightweight and absorbs fast with zero white residue. It’s now my go-to SPF for wearing under makeup. I had been using another Korean SPF I like a lot from Goodal’s Waterest collection, which I also highly recommend, but I think this one has the edge.

I’ve only gotten 2 boxes so far but it seems like a skincare-focused sub, which I imagine is universally accessible. Actually, most Kbeauty boxes I’ve seen are skincare focused because that’s what Kbeauty is known for.

Most Kbeauty base makeup, i.e. BB creams, have extremely limited shades. But since Mishibox is mostly skincare I don’t think it’s a problem!

I really like that eyeliner!! I always wear black, except very occasionally on the top, and look ridiculous with anything else for the most part, but it looks SO pretty!! It may work, too since it IS black! I need to find some…..

I’ve been feeling a bit meh with this subscription but I will say that this month was an improvement for me. I get that I won’t be happy every single time with these boxes, and so far I haven’t had a bad enough box to make me unsubscribe.

That being said, as a random side note, how do you reapply your sunscreen when you layer it under your make up? When you go to reapply after two hours wouldn’t it like, smudge everything?